General Electric Company

David Elliott Shapiro

Maurice David Fournier

Gregory Lee Landry

Gregory Norman Fournier

Steven Kerry Williams

Charles Byron Adams

Ian Darnell Reeves

Airfoils and grooves on the rotor or carrier for the airfoils have generally complementary dovetail shapes. The airfoils are installed in the grooves by sliding the bases of the airfoils along the circumferential grooves into final circumferential positions. At each circumferential position, a pin is driven between the base of the airfoil and the bottom of the groove to displace the airfoil radially into a final radially secured position taking up the clearance necessary to enable sliding movement of the airfoils about the groove. A first tool is used to drive each pin in a generally tangential direction by hammering on the end of the tool, transmitting an axial force to the pin. When the circumferential clearance of the last installed airfoil is insufficient to permit further use of a tangentially oriented tool to install additional airfoils, a second tool having an angled head is disposed into the groove to engage the pin. By hammering on the second tool, a component of the applied force drives the pins between the airfoil bases and the bottom of the groove to finally secure the remaining airfoils in a fixed radial position.

Methods of assembling airfoils to turbine components and assemblies thereof

A method of assembling a turbine comprises coupling at least one bucket to a rotor wheel. The bucket includes an upstream side, a downstream side, an airfoil extending therebetween and a dovetail extending radially inwardly from the airfoil to the rotor wheel. The method further comprises fixedly securing the bucket to the rotor wheel with a locking pin that extends from the bucket upstream side through the bucket dovetail to the bucket downstream side.

Methods and apparatus for assembling turbine engines

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Niskayuna, NY, United States of America

David Elliott Shapiro